2010 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 10-029 BY SENATOR(S) Spence, Bacon, Boyd, Brophy, Cadman, Carroll M., Foster, Gibbs, Harvey, Heath, Hodge, Hudak, Johnston, Keller, Kester, King K., Kopp, Lundberg, Mitchell, Morse, Newell, Renfroe, Romer, Sandoval, Scheffel, Schultheis, Schwartz, Shaffer B., Steadman, Tapia, Tochtrop, White, Whitehead, Williams; also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Swalm, Acree, Apuan, Balmer, Baumgardner, Benefield, Bradford, Casso, Court, DelGrosso, Ferrandino, Fischer, Frangas, Gagliardi, Gardner B., Gardner C., Gerou, Hullinghorst, Judd, Kagan, Kefalas, Kerr A., Kerr J., King S., Labuda, Lambert, Levy, Liston, Looper, May, McCann, McFadyen, McKinley, McNulty, Merrifield, Middleton, Miklosi, Murray, Nikkel, Pace, Peniston, Pommer, Primavera, Priola, Rice, Riesberg, Roberts, Ryden, Scanlan, Schafer S., Solano, Sonnenberg, Soper, Stephens, Summers, Tipton, Todd, Tyler, Vaad, Vigil, Waller, Weissmann, Carroll T. CONCERNING THE RECOGNITION OF ORGAN AND TISSUE DONORS THROUGH THE OBSERVATION OF "DONATE LIFE COLORADO MONTH". WHEREAS, April is designated as "National Donate Life Month", which has been observed across the United States since 2003; and WHEREAS, "National Donate Life Month", which was originally observed for a week and known as "National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week", is a time to raise public awareness of the critical need for organ, tissue, marrow, and blood donation and to recognize the altruism and generosity of organ and tissue donors; and WHEREAS, Through the established recognition of the Donate Life brand, advocates of organ and tissue donation can inspire those who have not made a decision about becoming a donor, and those who may have ruled themselves out as donors, to reconsider the opportunity to "Donate Life", a succinct call to action to register as an organ and tissue donor; and WHEREAS, To date, nearly 450,000 transplants have occurred in the United States since 1988; and WHEREAS, Today, more than 101,000 people are waiting for lifesaving organ transplants nationally, and an average of 245 people are added to the waiting list each month; and WHEREAS, Over 1,800 Coloradans are currently waiting for lifesaving transplants, and 21% of those transplant candidates have been on the waiting list for 5 years or more; and WHEREAS, On average, 18 people die each day in the United States from the lack of available organs for transplant and 6% of people on the waiting list, amounting to over 7,000 people per year, die before they are able to receive a transplant; and WHEREAS, Donated organs, including the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, and small intestine, are allocated based on the severity of an illness, total time spent on the waiting list, blood type, and match potential; and WHEREAS, One deceased donor can save the lives of up to 8 individuals through organ donation and more than 100 people through the lifesaving and healing gift of tissue donation; and WHEREAS, A healthy person can become a "living donor" by donating a kidney, a lung, blood, part of the liver or intestine, or bone marrow, and more than 6,000 living donations occur in the U.S. each year; and WHEREAS, Colorado is recognized as one of the nation's leaders in the percentage of people, currently at 64%, who enroll as registered donors when renewing or receiving their driver's licenses; and WHEREAS, Multiple state agencies in Colorado are working to make organ and tissue donor registration more mainstream and accessible by providing access to the donor registry through the state web site; and WHEREAS, Colorado provides targeted outreach and important education to the state's ethnic populations, which tend to have a higher genetic propensity for organ failure; and WHEREAS, Currently, more than 75,000 Coloradans have registered to be a marrow donor with Bonfils' Colorado marrow donor program, yet a need still exists to increase the pool of donors, specifically from ethnic minorities, as ethnically diverse donors comprise only 25% of the national registry; and WHEREAS, In partnership with the Donate Life community, Bonfils Blood Center saves and enhances lives; and WHEREAS, Every 2 seconds, someone in the United States receives a transfusion of donated blood, and Bonfils needs to collect more than 3,300 blood donations from volunteer donors each week to meet the needs of the Colorado community and to be prepared for unforseen events; and WHEREAS, In 2009, Bonfils collected nearly 165,000 units of blood to benefit patients in need in our community; and WHEREAS, Coloradans can go to www.bonfils.org to find more information on Bonfils Blood Center, register to give blood and find locations for blood donation, and find out how to become a marrow donor with the Be The Match Registry; and WHEREAS, Coloradans can register to be organ and tissue donors by going to www.DonateLifeColorado.org, in person at the Division of Motor Vehicles or on-line at the DMV web site, or through the printed Colorado state income tax booklet; now, therefore, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-seventh General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein: That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly, hereby: (1) Designate the month of April as "Donate Life Colorado Month"; (2) Recognize the significant contributions of advocates of organ and tissue donation, as their efforts have ultimately saved lives through educating the public and registering people as organ and tissue donors; (3) Express gratitude to the many Coloradans who have committed to fulfilling the critical role of organ and tissue donors; and (4) Encourage all state agencies to provide access to the donor registry for Colorado's citizens. Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to Thomas C. Puckett, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bonfils Blood Center; Governor Bill Ritter, Jr.; Joan Henneberry, Executive Director of the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing; Jim Martin, Executive Director of the Department of Natural Resources; Dean Winstanley, Colorado State Parks Director; Rich Gonzalez, Executive Director of the Department of Personnel and Administration; Martha E. Rudolph, Executive Director of the Department of Public Health and Environment; Peter A. Weir, Executive Director of the Department of Public Safety; Roxanne Huber, Executive Director of the Department of Revenue; and Bernie Buescher, the Secretary of State of Colorado. ____________________________ ____________________________ Brandon C. Shaffer Terrance D. Carroll PRESIDENT OF SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES ____________________________ ____________________________ Karen Goldman Marilyn Eddins SECRETARY OF CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES